Lollapalooza: Phone theft team hits hard on opening day

| Lollapalooza

At least one phone theft crew made life miserable for partiers during yesterday’s opening of the annual Lollapalooza festival in Grant Park. Police refused to file incident reports at the scene. Victims were told to submit their report with an officer by dialing 311.

Because reports were not immediately filed, the number of victims is not known, but one cop on the scene said “a bunch” of phones had been stolen in a mosh pit while Elephante performed on Perry’s stage around 5:30 p.m.

Reports of phones being stolen came in regularly throughout the day.  Toward the end of the day, one officer said that a Good Samaritan walked up to him and handed over eight phones that were found lying on the ground.

Some victims reported that a thief approached them to sell drugs for $20 as a ruse. He was described as a man who stood 6’1” tall and wore a red shirt with a snapback hat.

At least two other men and a woman were also suspected of being involved in the thefts.

The mini-crime wave resembles a similar crime pattern at Boystown’s Pride Fest celebration in June. At least 30 people reported losing their phones to thieves during the two-day street fair on Halsted Street. Many of them believed the thefts took place while they danced in a crowd.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com